Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium cultivar Claudine.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium, commercially known as a garden-type Chrysanthemum and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Claudinexe2x80x99.
The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Oostnieuwkerke-Staden, Belgium. The objective of the breeding program is to create new garden-type Chrysanthemum cultivars having inflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms, attractive floret colors and good garden performance.
The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross made in September, 1997, in Oostnieuwkerke-Staden, Belgium, of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Barbara, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,607, as the female, or seed, parent with the Chrysanthemum cultivar Fornelly, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross grown in a controlled environment in Oostnieuwkerke-Staden, Belgium.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken in a controlled environment in Oostnieuwkerke-Staden, Belgium since November, 1998, has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Claudine has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Claudinexe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Claudinexe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Rounded plant habit.
2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plants.
3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.
4. Decorative-type inflorescences.
5. Red purple and light red purple bi-colored ray florets.
6. Natural season flowering in early to mid-September in the Northern Hemisphere.
7. Good garden performance.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the female parent, the cultivar Barbara, in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more rounded and not as upright as plants of the cultivar Barbara.
2. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are red purple and light red purple bi-colored whereas ray florets of plants of the cultivar Barbara are red purple-colored.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the male parent, the cultivar Fornelly, primarily in ray floret coloration.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the cultivar Fuschini, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Oostnieuwkerke-Staden, Belgium, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Fuschini in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about five days earlier than plants of the cultivar Fuschini.
2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had more ray florets per inflorescence than plants of the cultivar Fuschini.
3. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum were lighter in color than ray florets of plants of the cultivar Fuschini.